The Mor Chit 2 terminal for northern inter-provincial bus will be downsized and relocated to an adjacent area currently used as a car park by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), Deputy Transport Minister Omsin Cheevapruek said Wednesday.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has set aside a 7.3 rai plot of land near the Central Juvenile and Family Court on Kamphaeng Phet Road for the state-owned city bus operator to build its new parking facility, Mr Omsin said on Wednesday after a meeting to discuss the relocation of the Mor Chit 2 terminal.

The Transport Co’s current 70-rai Mor Chit 2 terminal on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road will be downsized to a 16.7-rai facility serving short-haul buses when it relocates to the new location.

The SRT wants to reclaim the land used as Mor Chit 2 terminal and an adjacent car park from the BMTA by 2018 to construct its Red Line electric train, running from Bang Sue in Bangkok to Rangsit in Pathum Thani.

Mr Omsin said the construction of the new BMTA car park is expected to begin in July and be completed by June next year. It will cost about 50 million baht.

In addition to the relocation of Mor Chit 2, the Transport Co will build a new northern long-distance bus terminal, Mor Chit 3, on parts of its 45-rai property in Rangsit which currently serves as a maintenance and repair depot. The new site is in the less traffic dense northern part of Bangkok.

The new two bus terminals were estimated to cost 1 billion baht, Mr Omsin said.

“Mor Chit 3 will serve northern and north-eastern bus routes and help relieve overcrowding problems during festive seasons,” Mr Omsin said. “Separating the locations of the bus terminals will spread out commuters to different locations and reduce traffic congestion.”